Giant Monster Panic!
by John Fiala
Summary: Godzilla is coming, and Danielle may be the only one who can stop his rampage!


GIANT MONSTER PANIC! by John Fiala  
  
Monster Island:  
A roar resounded across the mountain and hills of Monster island, a scream of anguish and remorse. The ground shook as one of its most famous inhabitants walked to the sea, knocking down palm trees and scattering the wildlife in front of it as it stomped onto the beach, leaving behind footprints that would be tide pools for the next three months. With a splash it waded into the sea, slowly immersing itself until all that was seen was its wake.  
Offshore, on the Japanese observation ship First Watch, Lieutenant Hikari Amoro was frantically radioing Tokyo. "He's coming! He's coming!"  
"Godzilla is coming!"  
  
Tokyo, Nerima district:  
Danielle Watkins stretched as she watched the clock near 5pm. The electronics store she worked at was at a lull: not many buying appliances until after dinner, when children and Salarimen might start to wander the shopping center. Soon, she'd be off work as well, and then home for the night. She yawned as the clock finally clicked over, taking off the apron that constituted her uniform.  
Suddenly, sirens started going off. Danielle hadn't spent much time in Japan, but she'd learned that if they bothered to set off the sirens, she'd better pay attention. However, this pattern wasn't one she was used to.   
So she grabbed a kid running past. "Hey! What's the siren for?"  
"Godzilla is coming! Quick, we've got to run to the shelters!"  
She let him go, and sighed, going back to the store to help lock up, and to grab a TV/VCR and some tapes for the shelter. If she had to sit in an armored box with a bunch of people she didn't know, they could at least watch a movie.  
  
Offshore:  
The wake thickened, Godzilla's craggy head breaking the water, and then extending upwards as the monster walked up the slope to the Japanese mainland. Roaring out his frustration, he then stopped, appearing to examine the tanks, ray-gun emplacements, and the giant hot dog put forward in preparation for his arrival.  
As such, it was a surprise for everyone when he stayed in the surf, picked up the hotdog, and began to eat it.  
  
Tokyo, Nerima Shelter:  
Danielle had turned the TV on to the local news station, and was as flabbergasted as anyone else when Godzilla had stopped before setting foot on the island. As morning came and nothing happened, a number of the shelter's residents got restless. Finally, they decided to send some people out to see if it was safe to return home.   
Danielle wasn't too surprised that she drew one of the short straws. She left the TV in the care of her co-worker and went outside. It was very spooky, being outside in the early daylight with no one rushing to work, driving on the roads or streaming in and out of the subway. Shrugging, she decided to go down to the beach and see what was happening.   
  
Offshore:  
The beach was thronged with military equipment, but it was slowly being joined by nervous citizens wondering when Godzilla was going to decide what to do. Danielle had just arrived when the monster coughed nervously, and then - for the first time - spoke.  
"CAN SOMEONE HELP ME PROGRAM MY DAMN VCR??"  
Trees were bent by the force of Godzilla's voice, and Danielle had to pick herself up out of the sand. The entire beach had gone completely silent. 'Come on,' she thought to herself, 'SOMEONE has to be able to help him.'  
Dead silence.  
She sighed. Naturally. And raised her hand. "Mr. Godzilla, sir? I could."  
The giant head swiveled to pick her out of the crowd, which was helped by the fact that everyone within fifteen feet of her had run away. "COME WITH ME!"  
Danielle picked herself up off the ground, and walked forward, unsteadily. She'd been hoping to just tell the beast, but it apparently assumed she wanted to go with him. She looked into the crowd for help, but somehow everyone was looking in a different direction.  
Sigh.  
Walking as steadily as she could manage, she walked up to Godzilla's outstretched palm, holding onto the thumb for dear life as the monster turned and walked away from her adoptive homeland.  
  
The trip to Godzilla's home was slow and boring. Even when the Monster's head was above water, talking to it was an exercise in pain. Eventually she had to sit on its head as it swam through the water. She was able to get an uneasy sleep in.  
  
Monster Island:  
When she awoke, she realized that they were motionless. Looking up, she saw that they were waiting off of an island, and got up. Sensing the movement, the monster put its hand up to where she was, and she stepped into it again. They went ashore.  
A few minutes, and they were at Godzilla's 'home'. There was a nest of crushed greenery that she guessed was his bed, and a gigantic TV, along with a tiny VCR. She wondered how he worked it. Looking at the buttons, which were all dented badly, she figured he did it very carefully. Turning, she saw him looking at her expectantly. "Very well. To start with, let me show you how to set the clock..."  
After an hour or so, she thought Godzilla had the basics down, and relaxed in a chair-like construction that he had for the few visitors he received, sipping some coconut milk that the native worshippers of the monster had brought for her.   
Watching Godzilla watch the Simpsons was a trip, with the monster rolling back and forth, roaring in laughter. Bored with an episode she'd seen too many times already, she browsed around the offerings that had been given up. Picking up a gold necklace, she whistled.  
"YOU LIKE THAT? KEEP IT!"   
Danielle stood up. "Really? It looks pretty valuable."  
"I DON'T CARE ABOUT GOLD. TAKE WHAT YOU LIKE. NATIVES KEEP DUMPING IT HERE."  
She grinned, and started gathering stuff to take back.  
  
The end was rather anti-climatic. Godzilla ferried her back to Japan at night, so that she wouldn't get sunburned. They arrived off-shore, where again they were faced by Japan's Self Defense Force and a giant hotdog. After dropping her off, giving her his business card (which she figured she could use as a lean-to in hard times), and eating the hot dog (which a local company thought was going to be wonderful publicity), she dragged the gold off to the bank.   
Her brother was right: Consulting jobs were lucrative. If you could get the right customers, at least.  



End file.
